Dentifrice.



, UNITEDY- STATES PATENT. O FICE."

MORDEOAI I-I. FLETCHER, or CINCINNATI, onto, ASSIGNOR TO THE vEeETo'I COMPANY, on. CINCINNATI, 01-110, A, CoR oR TIoN or OHIO;

'DENTIFR'ICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 693,349, dated February 11, 1902. I ppli June ,1899. SerialNo- 719,052. (No specimens.) 7

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LMORDECAI H. FLETCHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a certain newand useful Gomposition'of Matter, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is a composition of matter to -be' used principally as adentifrice, its object to being to produce an efficient dentifrice for M which shall be free from the objections common'to all or nearly all of the so-called F tooth-1 use with a brush inthe ordinary manner and powders to be found on the market;

The tooth-powders ordinarily sold usually contain earthy matter which is coarse enough I to remove the calcareous depositsfrom the teeth, but which will also wear away and destroy the enamel and dentin. If fine enough to avoid this objection, they do not remove the tartar, and consequently fail to give a desirable result.

One principle of my invention is the avoid- I in the teeth and the spaces between them and about the gums to remove food, tartar,&c.,

but without exerting injurious abrasive action. A second principle is the combination or association of this vegetable matter with certain soluble chemical products in powdered form, which are dissolved slowly by the saliva in the mouth, and being alkaline in reaction they neutralize the acids of dental caries which may have begun, while their germicidal qualities destroy the bacteria of fermentation and putrefaction, and thus prevent future decay, (lactic acid produced by the lactic-acid ferment being the greatest source of decay of the teeth,) a further action being to render the mouth, as well as the surface of the teeth and the interstices between and around them, sterile, besides disinfecting the entire month and throat, and also acting as an emollient to the mucous membrane and skin.

In carrying out my invention I take a given quantity ofthe comminuted vegetable substance (giving preference to raw grainssucl1 as rice, maize, or corn-from which the soft part of thekernel has been removed) andto this addabout twelve, per cent, by bulk, of-

ground sodium borate (borax) and'about twelve per cent.',by bulk, of groundpotassium chlorate and small quantities of any suitable flavoring matters to give desirable flavor and The solid chemical constitu-- entsof this mixture dissolve slowly, being so slowly soluble that they act in the first instance mechanically as a'cleanser; but the particles remaining in theinterstices of the teeth and about the gums slowly dissolve and sterilize the surfaces of the teeth and cavities and also render the acids of decayinactive or neutral 'bychemical union with those alkaline substances, and this action continues for some time after the use of the dentifrice, for it is well known that if the teeth are kept sterile and surgically clean and the saliva distinctly alkaline decay will not set in. The compound made and used being partly soluble dispenses with the use of mouth-washes. It has a neutralizing action, first, as an alkali upon acids produced by bacteria or acid foods, and, secondly, it is disinfectant, having a destructive action on bacteria, thus producing purity of mouth, sweetness of breath, and preventing disease. The chlorate in this mixture has an oxidizing effect upon the starches, fats, albuminoids, and nitrogenous foods, while the borate of soda is antiseptic and germicidal, both ingredients having a healing and cleansing effect, tending to keep the skin and mucous membranes in healthy condition.

While I suggest potassium chlorate and sodium borate as the most desirable substances to use in connection with the organic constituent or comminuted cereal, I do not confine myself to these nor tothe precise proportions stated, as my invention lies in combining with: the base of comminuted woody or vegetable matter as a mild detergent such soluble chemical constituents as will by their slow solution in water or the saliva of the mouth sterilize the interstices and fissures as a dentifrice and thereby, through action 10 and produce the eltect desired upon the teeth, I of the saliva, to produce detergent and antiskin, or mucous membranes. septic ellects, substantially as set forth.

hat I claim as my invention is- I In testimony whereof I aliix my signature 5 A composition of matter embodying a relain presence of two witnesses.

' lively large proportion of cereal matter and I MORDECAI ll. FLETCHER.

a smaller proportion of sodium borate and i \Vitnesses: potassium chlorate, ground and mixed intoa L. O. IIOSEA, powder, adapted to be used in the month i \V. A. KNIGHT. 

